I hope and pray that everyone has a blessed Sunday. Love, Haven and the Crew

On Friday morning, Carter, Ammon, and I had been out several
times enjoying the warm morning. After we had allowed the coonhounds to slobber
on us a while, we came in for a break. As we sat watching “Fairly Odd Parents”,
I found myself sitting next to Carter on the sofa while he watched television,
sucked his fingers, and held his blanket. I found a spare blanket nearby,
picked it up, put my fingers in my mouth, and thought I would mimic him. Carter
stood up, laughed, and said, “No, like this.” For the next minute or so I
was schooled in the art of finger sucking and blanket handling by my son.  I received no instructions on the finger part;however, I did not hold the blanket correctly: I was supposed to hold it by the satin edging instead of the combed material. I then sat side by side with Carter and pretended to be him. He smiled and watched T. V., and Ammon sat
nearby in her rocking chair grinning ear to ear watching us and watching television as well. It was another, priceless Carter moment.

Carter & Baby (Blanket)

Right before we opened our pool in May, we had several weeks of rain. During those weeks, toads laid eggs on our pool cover. I scooped out as many as possible and placed them in a cooler. After several days, I decided to move them to our koi pond. Ammon, Carter, and I enjoyed visiting “our” tadpoles from time to time and watching them peep at us then suddenly swim to bottom of the shallow pond. When we returned home from our cruise they were all gone; however, I have recently seen quite a few small toads around our back patio. It does my heart good to think they are the tadpoles we saved! This summer we have also had a large number of blue tailed skinks. They are so funny and quick. I am so glad we have both the toads and the skinks. I know they are eating some pesky bugs such as mosquitoes and gnats.  I will miss them in this coming winter.

"The Daughter" & "The Son" (Ammon & Carter)

These two pieces of Lladró as well as our “Fatherhoods” are
on the mantle now with Jesus. Their names are very appropriate: “The Daughter”
& “The Son”. Sean got these for me Christmas 2010. The person who made
these molds has either had their own children or studied the actions of
children. These figurines depict the fun and mischievous nature of Carter and
Ammon, and I love them dearly. These pieces will be in the middle of the living
room for years to come.

This blog today is dedicated to teachers. Quite a few area
schools (K-12) are starting this week.  If
you haven’t already done so, ask God and the Spirit to bless your
classroom/classrooms, and if it makes you feel better “lay hands” on each wall
of the room while you ask the blessings. Teaching has changed so much in the
past 25-30 years, and you can never tell what type of “baggage” the students
are bringing into the classroom. In your prayers, I can advise you to ask that
every student who comes in there feel safe, and that each one is blessed
mentally, physically, and educationally with no harms.

As so many of us have experienced in our lives, natural
disasters occur all year round. Ask God to protect your areas from natural
disasters as well: Tornadoes, earthquakes, etc. I taught in the classroom from
1989 to the spring of 2008. Each time I entered a new classroom (usually during
pre-planning). I ALWAYS found a few minutes to close my classroom door, get on
my knees, and pray to God that he bless my students and my room. I also asked
Him to bless me to be a better teacher.

Good luck all my teaching friends, and may God bless you in
your teaching endeavors this year.

Our Hummingbird Moth: August 8, 2011

Around our swimming pool we have several hibiscus plants,
lilies, and butterfly bushes. Several weeks ago we were swimming, and I thought
I saw the familiar sight of carpenter bee/bumble bee, etc. nipping into the
nectar of the butterfly bush. I kept watching because I neither wanted Carter
nor Ammon to get close to it. The more I watched the more I realized that it
wasn’t a bee at all. It was a hummingbird moth! Those critters are so cute and
so entertaining. I tried to get a good photo, but they are fast! Please enjoy
the “borrowed” photo and my photo with the moths on our verbena that is in the
front flower bed.

Aren't they cool!?

On Sunday evening,  I saw pink lightning! It was the first time I had ever seen that, and,
unfortunately, I did not have my camera. We had jogged with a clear, blue sky
above us and a warm, August breeze hitting us frequently. When we finished, I
went to feed the coonhounds. As I was walking back from the barn, I was
visually attracted to a huge, mushroom, pinkish-white, thunderhead cloud to the
north. It was a beautiful scene. All of a sudden a pink bolt of lightning
flashed to the right side of the cloud! It was beautiful. As we went to bed
around 10:30 p.m. there was another silvery thunderhead to the north with
lighting embedded in it. The picture I have provided is not from me, but I
wanted you to get the idea what I had seen Sunday night.

We are fortunate to have Nana over just about every evening
to help/play with Carter and Ammon while we jog.  On Saturday evenings, Nana leaves and Ammon
and Carter go immediately to the shower so as to get ready for church on
Sundays. Saturday night was no exception; however, when Ammon and I accompanied
Nana to her car, we looked up and saw a gorgeous half-moon with silver clouds
drifting across it. Ammon said, “Look it’s the moon!” We all looked up and
commented on it. In a few moments I looked down and Ammon was shaking her head.
“What are you doing?”, I asked.  While
shaking her head once more, Ammon replied, “I’m shaking the moon!”

We had a surprise at the Texas Roadhouse on Friday evening.
Mamaw, Aunt Karen, Uncle Tony, and Alusha joined us for dinner! It was great.
Carter and Ammon could hardly eat due to the excitement. I don’t think Ammon
and Carter have ever eaten out like that with them. We’ve had plenty of family
get-togethers where we have enjoyed being together, but not out at a
restaurant.

Another enjoyable moment for Friday came when Sean and I
jogged late in the evening. It was cloudy, and it sprinkled rain. It was so
refreshing. There wasn’t enough rain to make our shoes soggy ( I hate jogging
with soggy shoes/socks!), but the rain on my face and shoulders felt so good
especially after our days with temperatures hovering at 100 degrees. Enjoy your
weekend everyone!

Los Fraternales: Lladró

Ammon and Carter hold up Haven’s world.

I was so surprised that Lladró had a piece dedicated to male/female fraternal twins. The Spanish name is “Los Fraternales”. Sean gave it to me the Christmas of 2009, and I adore it. The piece sits on the side board flanked by pictures of Carter and Ammon. I am so blessed to have them in my life.